International
Thailand: Activists suspend hunger strike to prepare new forms of protest: “We are confident that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic”
The Thai activist group calling itself “Writing Thailand's Cannabis Future Network”, led by Kitty Chopaka, today announced the end of the camp and hunger strike in front of the Thai Government House in Bangkok to prepare the next steps . Activists went on hunger strike for 10 days and offered cannabis oils as a peaceful way to demand people's rights to the plant. “We are confident that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic,” they say.
Since July 8, the group has been camped in front of the Thai Parliament, with the aim of urging the government to use logical and scientific processes to determine which law should regulate cannabis in the country.
Despite the peaceful demonstration and hunger strike to express the government's intention to form a committee to study the scientific facts about cannabis, “a dignified and universal mechanism”, Kitty Chopaka lamented, on her Instagram page, that the Minister of Public Health, Somsak Thepsuthin, has ignored even basic processes. “His aim appears to be to monopolize cannabis, as evidenced by several events that show his collusion with vested interests and questionable stakeholders. We urge the public to note that Somsak Thepsuthin is depriving the population of cannabis, an act we consider seriously harmful.”
Since the beginning of June, the group of activists has accused the Minister of Public Health of “constantly spreading distorted information to the public”, in order to convince them that cannabis is 'demonic'. “Therefore, people must stand up and give facts to society that the State is slandering cannabis without facts.”
While the protests lasted, the group kept a slow cooker making cannabis extracts, which they offered to anyone who wrote a note saying “Future of Thai Cannabis” and left it on the Chomai Maruchet Bridge, in front of Government House, at Gate 1 “While we’re here, there’s going to be a pot of cannabis boiling. We will donate 1 pot every 3 hours. From now on, THC oil + Cannabis Root, 2 liters.”
Demand the return of cannabis rights to the people
Kitty Chopaka reported that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Peeraphan Saleeratavipark, in his capacity as Chairman of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), was not consulted and that he is unaware of the Ministry of Public Health's intention to reclassify cannabis as a narcotic. “He said that a meeting is scheduled for July 23rd, but he has commitments that extend until August. If such an agenda emerges, suggest that ONCB provide an explanation.”
According to Kitty Chopaka, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul indicated that the Prime Minister called for discussions to understand the reasoning among stakeholders and emphasized the need for informed and data-driven decisions , which is in line with the proposals and position of the activists. “We are confident that cannabis will not be reclassified as a narcotic at this time in accordance with Somsak Thepsuthin’s agenda,” Chopaka wrote on her Instagram.
“We guarantee everyone that cannabis will no longer be classified as a narcotic”
One of the posters that marked the beginning of the cannabis protests in Thailand, on June 9, 2024
To ensure that information is used in the process of determining the status of cannabis, it is necessary to have an investigative committee. However, as Somsak Thepsuthin rejected the formation of the committee, the activist network consulted several parties to establish a popular committee to collect and present data to the public and key decision-makers, including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister who oversee the ONCB.
“This grassroots committee will include academic institutions, particularly universities with cannabis studies programs, medical professionals working with cannabis, cultivators and commercial operators. We will also invite divergent opinions, such as that of the Society of Rural Doctors or youth groups who argue that cannabis should be classified as a narcotic. We intend to establish this committee within seven days from today and accelerate the study of various facts within two months to inform all parties and use the data to determine the status of cannabis”, states the network of activists.
The “Network to Shape the Future of Cannabis in Thailand” is committed to regularly communicating this information to the public. “We believe that comprehensive public awareness is crucial in the process of determining the appropriate legal framework for cannabis.”
In line with these objectives, the network announced the suspension of the camp to move on to the next steps. “We are determined to ensure the regulation of cannabis under a legal framework and we assure our supporters at the Chamai Maruchet Bridge [Thai Government House] and elsewhere that we will strive to regulate cannabis by law, guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens under beneficial control measures. Lastly, we extend our gratitude to the media for covering various aspects of our network's information, improving public understanding of cannabis. We believe that well-informed citizens will be powerful in accurately positioning cannabis. We assure everyone that cannabis will no longer be classified as a narcotic.”
Kitty Chopaka on a cannabis plantation in Thailand. Photo: Instagram
This country has never used facts to determine public policy
The protests by Kitty Chopaka and several activists who joined her began in early June, with a declaration of protest in front of the Thai Government House. The group proposed the creation of a joint commission to conduct exhaustive research and present findings to the public to dictate whether cannabis should be regulated under the Narcotics Code or the Cannabis Act.
However, the Minister of Public Health rejected this proposal because “the government already intends to reverse the classification of cannabis as a drug”, says the group of activists.
“This movement is driven by the ability to create exclusive regulations that only allow certain groups to cultivate cannabis, leading to a market value of tens of billions of baht. Furthermore, the Narcotics Code fails to design effective mechanisms to protect young people and consumers. If this government truly cared about youth, it would not have issued a policy that allowed five methamphetamine pills. Furthermore, if cannabis was truly harmful, why did the Pheu Thai Party only change its position when Somsak Thepsutin became minister, while under minister Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, cannabis was not classified as a narcotic? This rapid change, which occurred just seven days after the appointment of a new minister, reveals the Pheu Thai Party's agenda to control cannabis for vested interests”, accuse the activists.
And they continue: “This country has never used facts to determine public policies. Any economically valuable company sees collusion between politicians, bureaucrats and vested interests to create monopoly laws. If cannabis is again classified as a narcotic, the public will have to evade law enforcement with their medicinal cannabis plants, just as before. Ordinary citizens, not big investors, will face arrests. This cycle will repeat itself. An herb that has treated people for thousands of years will be appropriated by the State, obstructing the revival of traditional medicinal knowledge.
We have done everything we can to urge the State to use facts in policymaking, but the State is determined to put cannabis in the hands of vested interests. Therefore, it is the people’s duty to unite with their hearts and feet to demand that the government does what is right.”
Kitty Chopaka is one of the biggest cannabis activists in Thailand and a documentary is being made about her life. Photo: Instagram
What could happen if cannabis becomes a narcotic again in Thailand?
According to the Activist Network, if cannabis is returned to the list of Narcotics in Thailand “it will lead to the destruction of the use of cannabis for individual medication, according to the wisdom of the people, because cannabis will be monopolized by large capital groups. The use of cannabis will only be prescribed by a doctor and can only be used for limited treatments. Doctors will only prescribe cannabis and cannabis-based medicines that have such a low concentration that they cannot cure any disease and will purchase cannabis-based medicines. Cannabis will only be purchased from pharmacies and with such a mechanism, the price of cannabis medicine will be so expensive that people will not have access to it, which is different from the present where people can grow medicinal cannabis themselves or have a variety of options for consumer purchases from local producers.
From the day the state introduces cannabis back into the narcotics list, cannabis cultivation, cannabis stores and all cannabis operations will be illegal. This will lead to the cleansing of the cannabis game board in Thailand, where new rules will emerge, consisting of monopoly cultivation, monopoly revenue and monopoly sales, while the Narcotics Code itself will not have a single measure to protect the youth.” , they say.
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[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 21st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “Say What? Lisbon” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura directed the documentary “Pacientes” and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.
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